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Acta: Tribe needs to re-evaluate rotation

DETROIT -- The Indians felt their starting rotation was in good shape when this season began. It has since fallen short of expectations, leaving the club questioning the strength of the cast going forward.

Tribe manager manager Manny Acta said the club will need to re-evaluate the rotation for 2013.

"We're definitely going to have to reinforce [the rotation]," Acta said on Sunday. "No one was anticipating that some of the guys who [we] started the season with were going to -- I won't say take a step back -- but not pitch, at least, the way they pitched last year."

Entering Sunday's game in Detroit, Cleveland's rotation had gone 0-7 with a 12.08 ERA over the team's past eight games, allowing 54 runs (51 earned) over 38 innings. Among American League rotations, the Tribe ranked 12th in ERA (5.13), wins (36) and winning percentage (.424), 13th in walks (249), strikeouts (401) and WHIP (1.50) and last in losses (49) and hits allowed (688).

Justin Masterson (7-10, 4.78 ERA) and Ubaldo Jimenez (8-11, 5.29 ERA) are the only members of the Opening Day rotation who remain on the current staff. Josh Tomlin (5-8, 5.81 ERA) has been moved to the bullpen, Jeanmar Gomez (4-7, 5.18 ERA) was shipped back to Triple-A Columbus and Derek Lowe (8-10, 5.52 ERA) was recently designated for assignment.

"I was looking at it [on Saturday] night," Acta said. "Out of the five guys we started the season with, I wasn't anticipating that one was going to get released, one was going to be sent down to Triple-A, one was going to have to be put in [the] bullpen and, at some point, the five of them would have a 5.00 ERA.

"That's not the way I think. That's not the way anyone should be going into the season thinking. We were positive going in. [I thought the rotation would] at least be better than it had been in the past. I was anticipating that either guys were going to pitch as good, or better."

DETROIT -- The Indians felt their starting rotation was in good shape when this season began. It has since fallen short of expectations, leaving the club questioning the strength of the cast going forward.

Tribe manager manager Manny Acta said the club will need to re-evaluate the rotation for 2013.

"We're definitely going to have to reinforce [the rotation]," Acta said on Sunday. "No one was anticipating that some of the guys who [we] started the season with were going to -- I won't say take a step back -- but not pitch, at least, the way they pitched last year."

Entering Sunday's game in Detroit, Cleveland's rotation had gone 0-7 with a 12.08 ERA over the team's past eight games, allowing 54 runs (51 earned) over 38 innings. Among American League rotations, the Tribe ranked 12th in ERA (5.13), wins (36) and winning percentage (.424), 13th in walks (249), strikeouts (401) and WHIP (1.50) and last in losses (49) and hits allowed (688).

Justin Masterson (7-10, 4.78 ERA) and Ubaldo Jimenez (8-11, 5.29 ERA) are the only members of the Opening Day rotation who remain on the current staff. Josh Tomlin (5-8, 5.81 ERA) has been moved to the bullpen, Jeanmar Gomez (4-7, 5.18 ERA) was shipped back to Triple-A Columbus and Derek Lowe (8-10, 5.52 ERA) was recently designated for assignment.

"I was looking at it [on Saturday] night," Acta said. "Out of the five guys we started the season with, I wasn't anticipating that one was going to get released, one was going to be sent down to Triple-A, one was going to have to be put in [the] bullpen and, at some point, the five of them would have a 5.00 ERA.

"That's not the way I think. That's not the way anyone should be going into the season thinking. We were positive going in. [I thought the rotation would] at least be better than it had been in the past. I was anticipating that either guys were going to pitch as good, or better."